AGL faces further disclosure gaps on donations to political parties

Peter Hannam

AGL's failure to make full and timely disclosures of its NSW political donations appears to extend to other projects beyond its Gloucester coal seam gas venture, including the proposed $300 million Tomago gas storage facility near Newcastle, documents show.

The energy giant was forced to concede disclosure errors on Thursday after a review by its external auditors Deloitte found the company had ''failed to fully comply'' with the Environmental Planning and Assessment (EP&A) Act.

''AGL is separately determining whether, and the extent to which, reporting obligations in relation to other planning applications made by AGL may not have been complied with,'' AGL said in a statement.

Protesters outside AGL's North Sydney offices. Photo: Louis Douvis

Among suspect projects is the Tomago plant, the destination for any CSG extracted from the Gloucester Gas Project.

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In its declaration to the NSW Planning Department on September 7, 2010, AGL disclosed $62,000 in donations in the previous two years, with $22,000 going to the Liberals' Millennium Forum and the rest to the ALP. A subsequent declaration on October 5, 2012, revealed a further $7335, all to the Liberals and Nationals.

However, according to documents submitted to federal and state electoral agencies, AGL omitted disclosures of at least $45,900. Excluded was a $13,750 donation to the ALP on June 6, 2010, with the rest going to Coalition parties.

The latter included $22,000 to the Millennium Forum, $2200 for a dinner with then federal opposition leader Tony Abbott and at least one dinner with then state opposition leader Barry O'Farrell.

Under the EP&A Act, donations are required to be submitted to Planning within seven days but some disclosures were almost two years old when declared.

AGL declined to comment other than to say it was ''currently co-operating with the relevant authorities on this matter''.

Fairfax Media first reported the potential disclosure gaps earlier this week, and sought comment from the Planning Department about the Tomago project.

Opponents of the Gloucester CSG project say the apparent Tomago disclosure gaps add to urgency for the government to conduct its own investigation. AGL should halt its planned fracking of four pilot wells until the matter is resolved, they say.

Protesters plan to begin their first blockade of AGL's CSG site near Gloucester from Saturday.

Greens MP John Kaye called on other parties to support his bill to ban mining donations to political entities.

Dr Kaye said that in the past companies like AGL could make partial confessions and hope public interest would wane. ''The environment is now one of zero tolerance for any irregular behaviour around donations,'' he said.

According to the Greens, mining companies donated just over $1 million to state parties between July 1999 and June 2012, with $451,970 going to the ALP and all but $1000 of the rest going to the Liberals or Nationals.